Fairfax County Police Watch: Man Claims Police Brutalized Him Because He Bit A Cop's Finger

There's no question that police are authorized to use force, deadly force if the situation calls for it. But that use of force must at all times be proportional - and when it crosses that line, that's where we come in to report in complaints of police brutality. Indeed, stories pertaining to police brutality are nothing new on this newscast. In fact, we report about them almost too often - and just to make a quick note, this week alone we've received at least 2 complaints. Tonight there is one more story added to the list. 33-year old Justo Lopez had to be rushed to the emergency room at the KHMH last night after he claimed that he was beaten up badly by at least 5 police officers. Lopez told us he was wanted by police for questioning in connection with the shooting of 23-year old police officer Nigel White which happened on the 26 of March 2011 at the Police Sub-Station in Belama.

But while in police custody, Lopez claimed he was beaten up, tied down with duct tape and a pint bottle was even shoved down his throat. He told us he is innocent, and gave us his story from his hospital bed.

"I came in because I was in Canada for a while. When I came in I walked through the border, the police ask me to show them my ID. I told them that they don't need to see any ID because I know that they were looking for me. I went with them, they didn't do me anything. They took me to the Corozal police station. From there 2 BDF and 2 Dragon Unit officers brought me to Belize City. Everything went ok."

"They took me to the CIB office and they checked me in, and then they took me downstairs and locked me up. Then they took me back upstairs handcuffed. I met 4 of the officers up there, they told me to tell them where the gun is or they will kill me right now."

"After that, one of them knocked me in the back of my head. I was knocked out. When I woke up it's because I am in the room. They put duct tape on my head, and then they started to kick me in my stomach and my back. I told them that I didn't know anything, but they still beat me up."

"After that I told them that I will tell them where the gun is (crying). I told them that it was in my mother's yard by the septic tank. They told me that they will kill me and throw me in the Haulover river, and nobody will know where I am. When they reached in my mother's yard, I told them that the gun is in the septic tank."

"When they open the vehicle door I ran out. One of the officers grab me by the hair and started to punch me in the face. One of the officers pushes his big thumb in my mouth, I bite his big thumb and they start to beat me again more and more."

"Henderson, the boss, came out of his vehicle. I told him that the officers beat up. I told him that they hit me like 30-40 times in my face. I told him that they choked me."

This evening 7news contacted Police Public Relations Officer, Raphael Martinez who told us the incident did occur yesterday. He said Lopez took police to a house in Belama where he claimed a weapon was stashed in the yard. When they arrived in front of the house, Lopez tried to jump out the vehicle and when police held him down, he bit the thumb of a police officer and refused to let go. Martinez said that was when force had to be used on Lopez. Martinez also told us that the police officer also had to be taken to the emergency room where doctors treated him for - don't laugh - 4 teeth marks that were incised on his thumb. He was later released. The house Lopez allegedly took police to is the home of his mother. Neighbors from around the area say they did see police beating Lopez.

Morrogh finds cop he doesn’t love. In other news, hell freezes.

Probe of fatal police shooting goes to federal authorities

By Justin Jouvenal/Post

The Fairfax County prosecutor has turned over the investigation of a fatal police shooting of an unarmed Springfield man to federal authorities, citing complications with the five-month-old case.

Commonwealth’s Attorney Ray Morrogh said the U.S. attorney’s office for the Eastern District of Virginia has agreed to continue the probe into the death of 46-year-old John Geer, who was shot during a standoff with Fairfax County police in August. No one has been charged in the incident.

“There is a conflict of interest that has arisen in the case,” Morrogh said Thursday. “And there is a second potential conflict of interest that has arisen out of my office. . . . This is the prudent thing to do.”

Morrogh declined to describe the nature of the conflicts because the investigation is ongoing. The U.S. attorney’s office said Thursday that it could not confirm or deny any investigation or comment on pending investigations.

Police went to Geer’s Pebble Brook Court home on Aug. 29 because of a report of a domestic disturbance. Geer’s father, Don Geer, said his son was upset because his girlfriend, the mother of his two children, had decided to leave him.

John Geer had thrown his girlfriend’s belongings in the front yard. She called police and told them that Geer had a firearm. Police said they tried for about 50 minutes to persuade Geer to leave the home, but he refused.

Don Geer said he watched the climax of the encounter. He said that he could not hear what officers were saying to his son but that he saw him standing with empty hands resting on top of a screen door at the home’s entrance.

At some point, John Geer began to slowly lower his hands and an officer opened fire, hitting Geer in the chest, his father said. Geer retreated inside and closed the door. A SWAT team eventually entered the home and found Geer dead.

Don Geer said detectives later told him that his son did not have a gun on him at the time of the shooting but that there was a holstered handgun a couple of steps from the front door.

Don Geer said it appeared to him that the shooting was unjustified, but he was unsure what to make of the probe being turned over to federal authorities.

“I don’t know whether that’s good or bad — if I had a better idea of why they are doing it, I could form an opinion,” he said.

Geer and friends of his son have been critical of how long the investigation has taken, but Morrogh said police and prosecutors were working to explore all the evidence. He did not think federal prosecutors would have to start from scratch.

“No one wants these things to linger on,” Morrogh said.

Our ink will outlast his career

Under the reign of former Chief of Police Rhorer the Fairfax County Police arrested a man for not wearing clothes in his house while he made coffee, set up an eye doctor on a gambling charge and then used the SWAT team to kill him. An investigation into the charge that the Doctor’s primary clients were cops has never been investigated. The police gunned down an emotionally unstable man because cop who shot him wrongly assumed the man was trying to escape. He wasn’t. The cops also shot dead four other citizens under highly questionable circumstances. The department under Rhorer was sued multiple times by citizens. So did they fire Rhorer? Naw they promoted him. According to news reports Rhorer draws a salary of $191,168 per year as Deputy Fairfax County Executive as well as a concurrent pension from the Fairfax County police of $173000 per year.

Occupation by force

According to the most recent U.S. Census figures, nearly one in five Fairfax residents (17.5 percent) is of Asian descent while Hispanics make up nearly 16 percent of Fairfax’s overall population. Those numbers drop considerably when applied to the Fairfax County Police Department, where only 4.3 percent of officers are Asian and 4.1 percent Hispanic. White officers make up 84 percent of Fairfax County’s 1,360-member police department, significantly higher than the county’s general population (54 percent white). Almost 90% of the force lives outside the county.